Amazing Grace (A Game Grumps Fan Fiction)
by WubbaNottaFighta
Summary: Grace Housely has been through a lot in her past. She has moved to LA recently due to the death of her aunt, with whom she was living in Alberta, Canada. One day, she was sick & saw an ad that read "Looking for Assistant to help with Hair/Makeup Tutorial Videos. Must be familiar with some computer/editing. No modeling experience needed." She emailed a response. T for language, etc.
1. Grace Meets the Grumps

Grace Housley sat nervously at the In-N-Out Burger table. She twiddled her thumbs and glanced at her phone. She pressed the home button to check the time again. Seven minutes to five. _Why did I do this_, she thought to herself before pushing her Buddy Holly glasses up onto the bridge of her nose. Responding to an ad in the paper was not like Grace at all. But something about it just felt good. The ad had said "Looking for Assistant to help with Hair/Makeup Tutorial Videos. Must be familiar with some computer/editing. No modeling experience needed." It had an email address to contact if interested and so Grace did. A meeting had been set for the next week at the fast food restaurant. The 28-year old young lady was incredibly nervous. Every possible heinous situation crossed her mind as she sat. She worried herself too much to eat anything; she had settled on a small chocolate shake so she wouldn't be loitering.

At five o'clock, nearly on the dot, a woman who may have been a couple years younger than Grace, and a man about her age walked up to her table with medium drinks in their hands. The couple both had brown hair, though the girl's was darker, and each had blonde streaks running through their hair. "Are you Miss Housley?" the girl's mellifluous voice chimed. Grace nodded with her lips pursed as the pair joined her in the booth. "I'm Suzy Berhow, and this is my husband, Arin Hanson. Do you mind if I start out by asking you some basic questions?"

"Sure," Grace responded before wiping her mouth with a napkin to make sure there was no chocolate lingering on the corners of her lips. Suzy pulled out a blank notepad from her purse, which somehow was very intimidating to Grace.

Suzy did not look up as she asked the first question, "What is your birthdate?" She clicked the black ink pen deliberately as she prepared to write.

"August 21, 1986," Grace responded, adjusting her spectacles.

"Do you wear makeup often?"

"I put it on every day, unless I'm not planning on leaving my house."

"Do you live with a boyfriend or husband or family that you care for?"

"No, I actually live by myself. I don't have a boyfriend or husband, and I don't have family nearby or anything."

"Hmmm," Suzy scribbled onto the notepad as Arin scrolled on his phone, both glancing up at Grace for a moment, "How free is your schedule currently?"

"Uh, completely, because I'm basically living off of some savings and inheritance and stuff. I do some babysitting for cash on the side, but that is basically all, but that's rarely for the woman that lives down the road from me."

After asking some more questions, Suzy gave a bright smile and Grace anxiously picked at her napkin. "Well," the married lady announced, "You seem to be perfect for the job, so I'm going to go ahead and hire you if you're up for it!"

Grace looked up and made eye contact with Suzy, then Arin, to see if they were being serious. Both were smiling. "Seriously?" the green eyed girl looked up from her muddy-looking milkshake. She was shocked. She honestly didn't think she was going to get the job at all.

"Yeah, in fact, you were the only person to respond to the ad. It's like a sign or something," Arin said, before slurping down some of his drink. He then leaned over to his wife and whispered something into her ear. Suzy nodded.

"That's a great idea. Why don't you join us for dinner tonight and we can kind of get to know each other a little better? We're already having some friends over for dinner tonight. It wouldn't be any trouble to make another plate for you!"

Grace thought it would be rude to deny their offer, but was not completely sure about going to the house of these strangers. She had taken the bus there since her car was so low on gas, so she was just going to get in their car and ride with them to their home. She quietly sat in the back seat and imagined every terrible scenario that could possibly happen, and then she thought about that show with the blond guy… what was his name? Oh yes, Hannibal. "Hannibal the Cannibal" was his name. They were probably going to have a rape-y threesome with her before they would kill her then chop her into bits and eat her for dinner. Why else would they have put such an ambiguous ad in the paper? She had told them that she didn't have any family or friends or basically anything in town… except her neighbors! She would have to use her elderly neighbor as an excuse to get out of this situation.

She felt obligated to walk into the house with them. Suzy hung her pea coat on the rack by the door before receiving a loving kiss from her husband. She smiled, and Grace felt even more uncomfortable. She didn't bother to take off her jacket. "I… uh… My… neighbor will… be worried about… me if… I… uh… don't get home," the nervous young woman stuttered. Suzy and Arin looked at each other.

"Why don't you call her and let her know that you're gonna be with us for dinner?" Arin suggested kindly, "We have a phone if yours doesn't get service out here." Was this some kind of cruel joke?

"No… I think… I think I should be … leaving," Grace backed towards the door when she heard something behind her. She chose not to stop and felt a body against her back. She turned to see a tall, lanky man with curly brown hair and some stubble. His eyes were a deep muddy brown and despite how incredibly attractive he was, he was pretty intimidating to a small girl like Grace.

"Hello there!" he greeted, a smile spreading across his face. Grace did not return the grin. In fact, a sickening grimace was the only term to describe the expression she showed.

"Please, God, don't eat me. I'm so sorry. I'm not tasty at all. I'm really small. My neighbor said that if I'm not home by a certain time she really is gonna call the cops and I gave her your email and everything so please don't rape me then kill me then chop me into bits then eat me as your next meal," Grace blurted with a cry. By this time, another shorter man had come in with some more facial hair than the first man but his face was rounder.

All four of the strangers stood and stared at Grace Housley with confused looks on their faces. She gripped at the couch to hold her up as she tried to strategize a way to escape when Suzy spoke, "You think we're cannibals?"

Grace chewed quietly on her lower lip. She replayed the scene that had just happened in her head and realized how ridiculous she sounded. "Uh… yes," the blonde girl muttered, looking down at the floor to avoid the eye contact of the other four.

Everyone laughed. "We're definitely not cannibals. Sorry if we seemed a little weird or creepy, we didn't mean to freak you out or anything," Suzy smiled, "We're having spaghetti for dinner, if that's okay with you." Grace looked around all eyes were still on her. She nodded and the married woman pulled her into the kitchen.

"I'm really sorry," Grace apologized, her face burning red from embarrassment.

"Oh, no worries, hakuna matata," Suzy replied before getting out all the supplies she needed for making the meal, "I can completely understand. Especially when you don't know anyone, it's hard to trust people nowadays. Wanna help me cook?" Grace nodded.

"So, who were those two guys?" the blonde young lady asked the hostess.

"Oh, shit! I forgot to introduce you!" Suzy exclaimed as she pulled a pot out of a cabinet, "Hey, boys! Get in here!"

The three men filed into the kitchen with a fourth smaller man with them. They were laughing as Arin pushed his phone into his pocket. He must have shown them something on his phone. "Yes, babe?" he beamed. Something about the way he looked at her was just so sincere and affectionate.

"I didn't get to introduce her to the guys. She was a little upset a few minutes ago," Suzy glanced sideways at Grace, "This is Grace."

The tallest one that Grace had backed into when trying to leave earlier stuck out his hand. "I'm Dan Avidan. You can call me Danny. Sorry if I scared you earlier. I didn't mean to add any unnecessary fear to your life," he joked. Grace smiled and shook his hand firmly. She couldn't take her jade green eyes off of his nut brown eyes. It wasn't until someone coughed that they realized that they were still shaking hands. They quickly withdrew their hands, the blonde turning a shade of crimson.

"I'm Barry Kramer. Dan and I are roommates," the gentleman who had come in right after Dan introduced himself and offered his hand as well. Grace shook it firmly and quickly.

"And most importantly, I'm Ross O'Donovan," the final man belted, shoving his hand into hers.

"Goddammit, Ross, don't scare her," Dan ordered. Ross looked up at the tan and gangly man before sticking out his tongue.

"Looks like you lot have already done a good enough job with that," he said with an international, but not exactly place-able accent, "I think you and my wife would get along nicely, but she had to do some extra work at her office tonight to get a project done by the end of the week. That's why she couldn't eat dinner with us tonight."

Grace smiled and felt better about being in the strange house. The boys went into the living room to play some videogame as Suzy and Grace worked on dinner together. The hostess cooked the pasta as the blonde prepared the salad and the bread.

Small talk filled the kitchen before Grace's curiosity began to spill out. "So, Ross's wife isn't coming. Are Dan's and Barry's girlfriends coming? Or are they… y'know?" Suzy nearly dropped the pot she was stirring the sauce in. She began to laugh.

"You're asking if Dan and Barry are gay?" she giggled. Grace blushed before tossing the salad to hide her humiliation. "No," Suzy responded, "Dan and Barry are pretty far from truly gay. And they're both single. But that's a good question." An awkward silence fell over the women as they continued to fix the food.

Grace finally broke the quietness, "I'm sorry. I'm… just really not used to social stuff. I'm super-awkward. Sorry." She put the bread into the oven as Suzy continued to stir the meat into the sauce. She smiled.

"You're fine," she assured the 28-year-old, "You probably think you're a lot more awkward than you are. I really just like having someone to cook with. A girl to spend time with, y'know? I spend time with the guys, mostly, and I don't get to really hang out with Holly, Ross's wife much because of her work and stuff. I mean, she's busy, and it's fine, and I guess that's another reason I put out that ad. I really do need a female friend. And you seem to be perfect for the job, as well."

Grace put the plates, silverware, napkins, and cups onto the dining table. Suzy placed a pitcher of ice water onto the table as the buzzer rang for the bread. "Gracie, will you please go ask each of the boys what they'd like to drink other than water?"

"Of course," Grace answered as she made her way into the noisy living room, where the boys were yelling at each other.

"No fucking way, man!" Arin yelled as a character flew off screen.

"Uhm, excuse me," the small young lady muttered, but to no avail. The guys didn't hear her and continued to catcall each other. "Ahem," she cleared her throat a bit louder. Danny turned his head and noticed her standing behind the couch.

"Oh, shit!" he belted, "Hey, pause it." The screen went still with several options on it. All the men turned to look at Grace and she could feel the pinkness traveling to her face. Dan smirked, "What do you need?"

"Uh, Suzy asked me if anyone wanted anything other than water. I think she made a fresh pitcher of lemonade, so that's an option, too, to let you guys know," she stammered.

"I'm just going to drink water," Arin answered.

"I'd like Pepsi," Dan replied.

"Lemonade actually sounds really nice. I'll take some of that," Barry said.

"I want lemonade, too, please!" Ross proclaimed.

"Okay, th- thanks," Grace breathed as she retreated to the kitchen. She prepared the drinks and everything was set for dinner. Suzy called the guys in and they sat down around the table. Grace sat between Suzy and Ross, across from Danny. They all began shoveling food onto their plates and were soon laughing and talking around the table as they enjoyed the exceptional pasta meal.

"So, Miss Grace," Barry started, "Where are you from?"

"Oh, I'm, uh, originally from LaFayette, Georgia. But, uh, I lived in Waverly Hall, Georgia for nearly all of my teen years. Then, once I was eighteen and old enough to move out, I had enough cash to move up to Alberta with my Auntie Corliss. She had a second home here in L.A. that she left to me when she passed away about a year ago," Grace responded as she twirled the spaghetti onto her fork. She knew everyone was looking at her, but she had no interest in acknowledge their pity for her.

"What about the rest of your family?" Ross asked, sincerely.

"Uh, we… don't talk much. We … don't see eye to eye on a whole lot of things," she mumbled before taking a mouthful of noodles to avoid further questions.

"We can't wait to get to know you better," Danny said. Grace looked up at him and his crazy hair. He was grinning from ear to ear before taking a huge bite of garlic bread.

_How is he so charming_? Grace wondered as she wiped her mouth with the napkin, even though there was no sauce on her face. They made small talk and asked about how Grace had liked L.A. so far. She mentioned that she really hadn't been anywhere outside of her neighborhood or anywhere of importance.

"Well, where are you living?" Arin asked.

"Oh, I actually live over on Franklin Avenue. Near where Peter Samson's Deli is."

"Seriously?!" Barry screeched, nearly spitting out his lemonade.

Grace frowned. Was that a bad part of town… or snobby? "Uh, yes, is that a problem?" she answered, pulling her bottom lip into her mouth.

"No way!" Dan exclaimed, "We live in the apartment building on Delano Street! We're only two streets away from you!"

"Are you kidding me?" Grace actually spoke louder than she had all evening, "I know exactly where that is! That's, like, two streets away!"

"Do you just want us to take you home, then, so you don't have to pay bus fare, and since we're headed that way anyways?" Dan requested.

A thump was heard underneath the table and Danny's face writhed in pain as Suzy spoke up, "She might not want to go with two strange men at night after thinking that we were _cannibals_, Dan."

"No, no, that'd be wonderful," Grace assured Suzy, "I really don't want to inconvenience you and Arin. They're gonna be going towards my house anyways, so there's no reason for me not to accept their offer. So, thank you Danny, I'd be glad to hitch a ride back with you guys."

Everyone finished dinner and they sat around talking for a little bit. "My turn for questions," Grace mustered up the courage to say, "What do you guys do? Or how do you know each other? Like, what's the deal here?"

The friends took turns explaining that they were part of some YouTube channels that did things different things, such as animation, music, videogames, and makeup tutorials. Grace found it really interesting that they made money by making entertaining videos and it suddenly occurred to her that she would soon be a part of all this.

After sitting around for a while, Suzy began to clean and Arin began to help. Barry gathered the stuff on the table and Grace began to get up to help with the washing of the dishes and such. "No, Gracie, you sit down. You helped make dinner. The boys can help clean," Suzy said, a tone of threat looming in her voice and Dan and Ross shot up to help as Grace lowered herself back into her chair.

"Can we play Pictionary after we're done getting everything put in the dishwasher?" Dan asked, a child-like manner in the way he asked, as if he was a kid asking his mom and dad. Suzy looked at Arin and Arin returned the gaze.

"Sure, but we'll have to draw names," Suzy answered. It had been forever since Grace had played Pictionary. Barry refreshed her memory on the rules as Ross and Danny went to find paper, a hat, and the Pictionary game. They all sat in the living room and gathered around the coffee table. After much discuss and debate, it was decided that the two ladies and Barry should be the ones to pull the names out of the random hat. Danny, Arin, and Ross each had their names written on a piece of paper, and then thrown into the hat. Since she was truly the guest, Grace pulled first. It took her a moment to grasp a piece of paper, but she pulled out the folded sheet and flattened it out. Big sloppy letters spelled out "Danny" on the small white sheet.

"Danny," she read, looking at the skinny man, who beamed at her before moving to sit next to her. Suzy pulled out Ross's name, which only left Barry to choose Arin. They began playing and Dan's inability to draw shone through to Grace as she giggled at his failed attempts. Her attempts weren't much greater, considering that each of the other teams had an animator on it, but somehow they managed to win in the end.

"What the fuck?" Arin asked when Dan reached across Grace to move their piece to the winning space. Dan offered his teammate a high five and she delivered. Everyone ended up saying good game to each other and the videogame console was turned back on and Suzy announced that she was going to make some coffee. They didn't play the same game they had been playing earlier, but they were just as competitive. The scent of coffee drifted into the room and Dan got up to fix himself a cup.

"Can I fix you a cup, Grace?" he asked, out of politeness, she was sure.

"Absolutely not. You'd either ruin my coffee or make fun of me for the way I take it," she teased lightly. As Suzy exited the kitchen, Dan and Grace went in and he pulled out a coffee mug for both of them. Danny poured his cup full of the black liquid as Grace filled the mug one fourth of the way with creamer before adding four packs of sugar and pouring the dark fluid into her cup. He took a big slurp before letting out a relieved sigh, as if the coffee had taken away any and every trouble he'd ever had.

"Ew," Grace moaned, "You drink yours straight black?"

"Don't tell me you're a _coffee racist_," he joked.

"If mine isn't the color of my skin, it's not perfect."

"Oh my God," he rolled his eyes.

They laughed as Grace stirred her coffee with a spoon. Dan set his coffee on the counter and pushed himself up to sit next to it. _Damn_, Grace mused, _how the hell is he this smooth_?

Her thoughts were interrupted by an earsplitting bang and Dan screaming "Fuck!" as he bashed the back of his head against a cabinet. This scared Grace and caused her to drop her coffee.

Almost in slow motion, the coffee spilled on her, and it hurt at first, but after she heard the crashing of the porcelain mug on the floor the pain was numbed by the anxiety attack that overwhelmed her. She flashed back to a childhood memory of her mother standing in front of her and seeing the broken coffee mug on the floor. She remembered the sound of her drunken father stumbling into the room, the sound of his belt coming off. "I swear," the slurred words of the horrid man echoed in her head, "if you broke my mug, it's gonna hurt like hell, bitch."

Grace was frozen in a state of panic. Dan was trying to ask if she was okay as tears streamed down her face. "Oh my God, Suzy, Arin! Get in here! I need help, NOW!" he screeched. They burst into the room to see the scene that had taken place and began to scatter in order to take care of it. Danny looked down to see the coffee stain down her pastel pink flower print mid-thigh skirt and saw not only burns on her legs, but also cuts from the porcelain that had bounced back from the floor. Dan placed a hand on Grace's face to make her look up at him. "Hey, are you alright?" he questioned.

The blankness in her eyes disappeared after a few blinks and she brought her hands to her eyes. "Oh, my God, I am so sorry. I… I didn't mean to break it. I am so sorry… it was an accident… don't be mad, please… please don't be mad," she whispered.

"Hey, don't be worried about the stupid fucking mug, are you okay? No one's mad about the mug. You're burned. C'mon with me," Dan murmured before he leaned down to allow her to put her weight on him. He led her to the bathroom where he made her sit on the toilet seat lid. "I'm sorry about your skirt, I'm sure Suzy has a remedy for it, let's see what we can do with this burn," he rambled as Grace whimpered. He pulled a washcloth out of a cabinet and wet it with cool water and gently placed it on the burnt areas. Tears gushed from Grace's eyes as the pain became more intense. "We need to get something on those cuts. I'm sorry," he mentioned as he squirted Hydrogen Peroxide onto another cloth. He dabbed the fabric across her legs and she physically flinched at the pain. "Oh, God, I am so sorry, Grace," he whispered as she grasped tightly to his bony shoulder.

She pressed her face into his chest and sobbed quietly as he continued to tend to her wounds. She finally calmed down a bit and was able to thank him for everything. He half-smiled and said that it wasn't a problem. "I'm seriously sorry about the mug, though," she uttered again, "I'll pay to get them a new one. I'll clean up the coffee, too. God, I'm so sorry."

Danny shook his head, the look on his face confused, "Why the hell are you so concerned about the mug? Arin and Suzy don't care. They're much more concerned about whether or not you're okay."

A sweet voice interjected, "Yeah, there's no reason to be upset. Oh, you got it all over your cute skirt. If you change out of that, I'll get those cleaned for you by tomorrow. Let me go find something for you to change into." The dark haired hostess turned from the bathroom entrance and went to hunt for some clothes for Grace to turn into.

Danny and Grace sat in silence for a few minutes as Dan began to place bandages on her cuts. "So… is that a normal thing?" Dan finally shattered the stillness. Grace cocked her head to the side in order to ask what he meant. "Y'know … that whole trance thing where you totally blanked out. It looked like you were having some kind of anxiety attack or something." Grace pursed her lips and looked everywhere but at Danny.

"Uh, well… I don't have attacks often, if that's what you're asking, because I'm not actually social enough to deal with any anxiety. But when I do have them, they're either that bad or worse," she breathed, feeling the blood rushing to her face. She held the washcloth in her lap and it felt relieving against her skin. The tall man put the last of the bandages on her legs silently. Suzy returned with a worn looking pair of men's pajama pants and an army green shirt. Dan turned his head to look at the young woman.

"Is that one of the Experience shirts?" Dan asked, a smile extending over his face.

Suzy nodded, "It's yours. Do you mind?" He shook his head and took the folded clothes from her to hand to Grace. "You can change into those, Gracie, and I'll wash your skirt here," the married lady added.

The two left Grace by herself in the bathroom and closed the door behind them. She locked it so no one would walk in on her. She didn't need any further embarrassment. She pulled off her top, which she noticed had a stain from dinner that looked like spaghetti sauce. She replaced it with the t-shirt that was allegedly Danny's. It definitely smelled like him. Once she got it on, she realized that it must have been one of their merchandising shirts. It had a cartoon version of his face on it with huge letters saying "I'm Not-So Grump". It smelled like him, though, so she suspected that he actually wore it around as well.

She slipped off her skirt with a bit of difficulty as she tried to avoid touching the burns. The pajama pants had to be Barry's that he had left over at some time because they were much too short to be anyone else's. They were only a little big on Grace (which was good because they were not tight against the burns), but they were the perfect length. She bundled up her skirt and shirt and walked out of the bathroom. Suzy met her and grabbed the clothes from her hands. "I'll take care of these!" she chimed as she floated away, "You go back and hang in the living room with the guys. You just relax." Grace nodded and made her way into the living room where the boys were playing a much quieter game. Grace sat in an armchair to watch. She felt so exhausted. She nearly dozed off when she heard her name.

"Grace, are you about ready to go?" Dan laughed as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She nodded. "What about you, Barry? You ready?"

"I actually need to stay over here tonight in order to finish up some editing. Arin and Suzy are letting me crash on the couch," answered Barry.

Grace stood up and thanked Suzy and Arin for their hospitality and said goodbye to Ross and Barry before following Danny out to his car. She got into his very average looking car and shut the door and he did the same. "I want to know your triggers," Dan demanded. Grace was shocked at how forceful he sounded. "You don't need to have any more anxiety attacks. Someone needs to know what triggers them. You might as well tell me. We've got time. It'll take us at least thirty minutes to get across town." He cranked the vehicle. The radio came on, but he quickly turned it down to give her the opportunity to talk.

"My whole story is a little long and pretty bitter. Basically, my parents were drunks, I was beaten, I ran away, I have anxiety attacks if something breaks or if there's yelling or loud noises. Does that answer your question?" Grace mumbled. Sympathy crossed over Danny's face.

"God… That's awful. I'm so sorry," he apologized.

"It isn't your fault," the blonde grumbled, "so don't pity me. It's all in the past. I haven't seen or heard from my mother, father, or two brothers since before the turn of the millennium. I don't care if I never see them again. The only memories I have of my parents are bad."

Dan pursed his lips as he kept his eyes on the road. The radio played softly as a quiet anger filled Grace, and suddenly she stated, "Fuck you. I don't need your goddamn pity. I didn't ask for this shitty fucking life. So why don't you just let me be and leave those stupid fucking looks at home next time or I'll punch them out of you."

Dan was surprised at her language and her threats. "Sorry," he muttered, "I didn't mean…"

"Stop being sorry."

He clenched his jaw tight. Grace could tell that he was pretty pissed at what she had said, but she was pretty pissed at the world. The feelings of being alone swept across her again. A sensation of nausea filled her stomach and she pressed her head against the window as she crossed her arms over her chest angrily. Slowly, her arms moved down to hold her stomach and she closed her eyes to allow tears to run down her cheeks.

"Is my driving making you sick?" Dan asked through his teeth. He was seething. He hadn't done anything wrong. Yet, this girl, this cute blonde girl that he would be working with for who knows how long already hated him for no reason even though he had been nothing but nice to her. He thought about how he had treated her burns and cuts and how he had offered to give her a ride home and about how he was letting her borrow his shirt and now she sat there an angry mess and somehow he was to blame.

"I-I'm sorry, what?" Grace responded in tears. She had been focusing on trying to not puke her guts out. His face relaxed as he turned on his hazard lights and pulled over to park on the side of the dark road; he turned the key so that the car was just running off the battery but the engine was not on. "W-why did you stop?" her voice was nervous and tense, and she was incredibly scared. Though she had been threatening moments ago, there was no way she could fight this tall man. He'd easily overpower her and take anything he wanted from her. She squeezed her eyes together willing the achiness to disappear so that she could at least try and fight back if he pulled anything on her. She clicked her seatbelt off to try to ease some of the tension off of her stomach, but it didn't have as much of an effect as she hoped. _At least I'll be able to get away without the restraint_, she thought.

"I think… uh… hold on…" he remarked before unbuckling himself and reaching over towards her. She moved away from him, but he was not reaching for her, but rather for the glove compartment, where he pulled out a bottle of Tums. "It says take two to four based on how bad you feel. They're chewable. Do you want some water or something? I think I have an unopened bottle of water in the back." He reached into the backseat to feel around after handing her the bottle. She shook out three tablets and he found the small eight ounce bottle of water that hadn't been opened yet. "It's warm though," he mentioned apologetically.

Grace chewed the fruity tablets before washing the powdery flavor down with the warm water. Dan tapped his fingers quickly against the steering wheel, as if he was trying to find some way to occupy himself. "I'm… really sorry," Grace whispered with regret in her voice, "I really shouldn't have yelled at you. You have been nothing but gracious to me all night. It's really hard for me to trust people. My past is not your fault, but I shouldn't scream at you for wanting to be nice to me. I just don't want to be pitied, y'know? Despite all the shit that I've trudged through, I'm here now. That's what matters. Everything that has ever happened to me is never gonna change. There's no point in crying over milk that was spilled in 1992, because it's either been cleaned up or it's spoiled by now."

They were both intent on looking at each other that they didn't notice the blue and red lights that pulled up behind them until the police officer tapped on the window. The two adults jumped as and turned to see the officer shining a flashlight in their faces and using a dated circular motion to signal Dan to roll down his window.

Dan was obedient and the officer inquired, "You two doing alright this evening?"

"Yes, sir," Dan responded immediately.

The officer looked at Grace, "And how are you, ma'am? Is this fellow bothering you?" Grace noticed her body language was still very shut down, her arms across her chest and her knees pointed towards the passenger side door.

"Oh, no, he's not bothering me. He's my boyfriend," Grace lied, "We just… uh… thought… we'd uh… pull over and…" She pretended to move her clothes back into the appropriate position as she laid a hand on Danny's thigh and moving towards him in her seat, "Talk about some movies." The cop was not buying the movie bullshit, but that is exactly what she wanted. She took Dan's arm and wrapped it tightly around her waist, letting his hand come to rest on this inside of her hip so that outer fingers were barely brushing her thighs. "Baby, it's getting, uh, pretty late. Maybe we should get back to the house so we can finish… uh… watching that movie…y'know… the one we were… just talking about?" Dan was utterly confused and the cop was buying into the idea that they had stopped on the side of the road to bang.

"Well, next time you pull over to 'talk about movies,' don't put your hazards on," the cop warned before tapping the top of the car and walking off.

"Thank you, officer!" Grace yelled with a nearly seductive tone before whispering, "Roll up your window and turn the hazards off." Danny obeyed and they sat silently until they heard the policeman's engine start. Grace pulled Dan into her neck and she put her face to his, grabbing the back of his head; as the officer drove by it definitely looked like they were kissing. Once they were sure that the officer was gone, both let out a sigh of relief and relaxed.

"I just saved your ass," Grace said, not realizing that her left hand was still on Dan's thigh and that his arm was still secure around her.

"How did you just 'save my ass' by lying to a cop?" Danny inquired, trying to be charming since she had already gone as far as to claim him as a boyfriend.

"He thought you had kidnapped me and that you were trying to rape me. He would've never believed a story about me being sick, especially with how my body language was. If I had said, 'N-no, we just pulled over because I wasn't feeling well,' then he probably would have called you in and tailed you home. Lord knows that my neighbor might have already called the police since she doesn't know I had dinner with you guys. So he might actually have been looking for someone of my description. But he would never arrest someone that I had affection for. And, viola! The story of how I saved your sorry ass from becoming a sex offender is revealed."

Dan smiled and abruptly they were simultaneously both aware of how close they were to each other. "You gonna take your hand off my thigh, or are you coming onto me, Miss Saved-My-Ass?" Dan teased with a killer smirk.

"Says the man whose hand is caressing my hip?" she retorted as she pulled her hands off of him and crossed her arms again over her chest.

"You put it there!" he laughed accusatorily.

"You kept it there!" she mocked in return.

He paused as a smile widened across his face. "I… can't exactly deny that," he chuckled, glancing down at Grace. She grabbed his right hand and flung it off of her.

"Shut the fuck up and drive," she spat, buckling herself into her seat.

"Yes, ma'am," he grinned. Danny strapped himself in and started the car. He turned up the volume on the radio and the station played a song they both knew. They started out singing it quietly, but by the second chorus, they were belting it out with the windows rolled down. Moments after the song ended, Dan turned onto Grace's street and so she had to tell him which house was hers.

"It's the fifth one on the left. You can just pull into the driveway," she remarked, still smiling from the high that the song had given her. Dan did so and turned the car off.

"Do you want me to walk you to the door?" Dan asked, although he was already getting out of the car to walk with her anyways.

"Well, we need to walk to Mrs. Pace's door and let her know that I'm home and I'm safe and not dead and that she needs to call off all the search parties that she probably has out," explained Grace. Dan walked close to her side as they made their way through her yard to the older lady's home. The blonde girl rang the doorbell and glanced up at Dan. He was leaning against the brick beneath the archway, thinking. Or, it seemed like he was thinking. For all she knew he could've been deciding on what he was going to eat when he got home.

He was thinking, though, about how one day he wanted a house with a doorbell. Maybe it would be in this neighborhood. Maybe it would be in Europe. He didn't really care about the details. He just knew that one day he wanted to upgrade from his shitty apartment (which, come to think about it, wasn't as bad as he made it seem) to a real home, like Arin and Suzy.

A young man, who couldn't be more than 22 years old, answered the door. "Hey, Grace," he said, a twinge of admiration in his voice, just like you would find in a schoolboy who had a crush on his teacher.

"Hi, Cameron, can I talk to your grandmother?" Grace asked, sounding more than a little aggravated. Danny could tell that she had not wanted Cameron to answer the door.

"Sure, come on in!" he pointedly said to her, ignoring Dan completely. Grace grabbed Dan's wrist and dragged him inside despite that he wasn't invited. Mrs. Marlene Pace, a woman of 72 years, sat in a rocking chair in the living room of the house nervously knitting some thick yarn.

"Hello, Mrs. Pace!" called Grace loudly, lugging Danny behind her. The white-haired elder looked up from her stitches and saw the young woman in front of the tall fellow and a look of relief washed over her face.

"Hello, dearie! I was going to give you until Midnight before I called the police," she creaked with a very stereotypical grandma voice, "You cut it very close tonight." She glanced at the clock, which revealed that it was nearly 11 o'clock. "Who is that handsome fellow behind you? Is he spending the night at your home?'

The three young faces burned bright red at the question. "N-no, Mrs. Pace, he is my new co-worker. He lives a few streets over and just gave me a ride home." The wrinkly woman became immediately uninterested as soon as there was nothing scandalous going on between the two of them. "Well, I need to get to bed, bye," Grace exclaimed before towing her friend out of the house as quickly as possible. They got off of the neighbor's property and were able to relax.

"He sure has a thing for you," Dan joked.

Grace groaned, "I know. He only visits occasionally, but it's miserable when he does." Dan and Grace walked to the door of her house and she got her keys out and unlocked it with ease. She thanked her newfound friend for everything and awkwardly shook his hand before retreating into her home. She closed and locked the door and went upstairs to her bed where she hit the pillow and instantly fell asleep after a very long day.


	2. Groceries and Backstory

Grace awoke with a start the next day. It was nearly ten. A puddle of drool had gathered where her cheek met the pillow. She took her forearm and wiped off the slobber and convinced herself that she was in need of a shower. She drearily pushed herself up off of the bed (pulling off her glasses that she had forgotten to take off before collapsing on the bed) and trudged into the bathroom, where she treated herself to a steaming thirty minute shower (as she tried to rid herself of the glasses marks on her face).

When she got out, she wrapped her clean blonde hair in a towel and set it on top of her head like a turban. Even though she was the only one living in her house, she still refused to walk around naked, so she put on a robe. As soon as she tied the belt around her waist, the doorbell rang. "Shit," she muttered to herself. She grabbed a pair of panties and slipped them on so she wasn't completely nude beneath her robe. She swore if it was Cameron, she was going to kill him. The doorbell rang again, so she yelled, "Give me a second!" as she sprinted down the stairs to the front door of her house. She swung the door open much wider than she intended. To her horror, Dan Avidan stood at the door, twiddling his thumbs.

"Oh, fuck, di-…did I come at a bad time?" he asked as he tried to not stare at her.

"What… the…" Grace was trying to understand what he was doing at her door, crossing her arms over her body in order to make herself more comfortable, "Why the hell are you here?"

"None of us got your number last night. Suzy texted me to ask if I had gotten it… so I just thought I'd come over and ask for it… but… uh… I … can come back later… sorry," he stuttered and turned to leave.

"N-no!" stammered the young lady, to her own surprise, but she continued, "Just, uh, come and sit on the couch, I'll be down in a second."

He shyly made his way to the living room and awkwardly sat on the couch as Grace ran back up the stairs. She threw on a clean bra and a pair of ripped up jeans and a black Crazy Town tee shirt with a white butterfly design on it. She cleaned and placed her glasses on her face. She ran back down the stairs where Danny was no longer sitting in the living room but walking around and admiring the art and pictures she had on the walls and mantle.

He glanced her way and smiled, "I really like these pictures of you. Is this woman your aunt?" He pointed to a very sick looking lady in one of the most recent pictures and Grace nodded.

"She was really sick. I… I'd rather not talk about it, if that's okay," she muttered, pulling the towel out of her hair. She went to the coffee table and found a hair tie and plaited her hair quickly before placing the band at the end of the braid.

"Oh, yeah, that's fine… Uh, can… I get your number now?" he asked, as he slid his phone from his pocket.

She cocked her eyebrows at him and gave a half smile. "Is that seriously the best you've got?" she giggled before she sat down and crossed her arms and legs with an overtone of absolute sass.

"Excuse me?" he asked in amused shock.

"Oh, surely Mister Charming has some kind of 'I-need-your-number' pick-up line that he can use… or are you not quite the enchanter I thought you were?" Grace cocked her head as she stuck her tongue between her teeth in a teasing smile.

_How can she go from being super serious to this?_ Dan asked himself before responding aloud, "They don't call me 'Danny Y. Sexbang' for nothing." He gave a very seductive wink, which only brought about an eye-roll from the woman sitting on the couch.

Dan looked down at his cell phone and paused flicking at the screen for a moment. "Shit!" he exclaimed, "There's something wrong with my cell phone!" he tapped and flicked a few more times with much effort.

"What's wrong with it? Did it freeze up? Let me see," Grace said.

Dan tossed her the phone before adding alluringly, "It doesn't have your number in it."

She caught the phone and she found that it was on a contact page with her name already typed in. "Oh, that was very smooth, Danny, I'll give you that," Grace sneered as she typed in her number. She immediately sent herself a text saying "Dan Avidan" so that she would have his number in her phone as well, before tossing it back to him.

"Can I get you anything?" Grace said, getting up to walk to the fridge. Dan followed and nodded, saying that he could go for a coke or something. "Fuck," the blonde whispered when she opened the refrigerator, "I didn't go to the store yesterday."

"Do… I need to go so you can go to the store?" Dan suggested. He really did not want to be in the way.

"Actually, if you could go with me to the grocery store, that would be wonderful. I usually go with Mrs. Pace on Saturdays, which obviously was yesterday. But I was with you guys yesterday and she had Cameron to help her… I hate going by myself. Unless you have stuff to do, which is fine, y'know, whatever."

"Nah, I don't have anything going on right now, I'd be glad to accompany you to the store. Do you want me to drive?" he inquired, yanking his keys from his back pocket.

"Yeah, my car is running pretty low on gas and I don't really feel like filling it up right now," Grace answered, "Let me go grab my purse and shoes and we can go head out to Albertson's. Uh, feel free to roam around the house a little. I shouldn't be long, though."

She jogged up the stairs and grabbed her canvas shoes that were so cheap and off brand that she couldn't even think of the name. She snatched her messenger-style purse from her vanity and quickly made her way back downstairs. She grabbed a pen and paper from a kitchen drawer and quickly scribbled a list of things she needed to get before calling to Dan. She peeked into the living room and noticed that he was looking at the pictures again.

"You're really enjoying those pictures, aren't you?" asked Grace, glad that someone else appreciated the photos as much as she did, even if the subjects weren't necessarily healthy or attractive.

"You're just super happy, and I think that means more than anything," Danny muttered, as if reading her mind.

"I went almost a whole eight years without having any anxiety attacks because of her. She had a huge impact on my life. Her presence was just calming, y'know? When she started … getting near the end… the panic attacks came back. But she didn't know. That's what was important. I didn't want her to know that I was hurting. I wouldn't want her to know."

"Hmm," Dan grunted lightly with pursed lips. He was trying to avoid the pity road that had been traveled the night before. "Are you ready to head out?" The girl nodded and they walked out of the house. She locked the door before making her way to his car. "So you like Crazy Town?" the tall man smirked as he cranked up the car.

"Yeah, they're pretty good," Grace responded, "They're not my favorite, honestly, but one of my Aunt's good friends in Alberta really liked them and went to a concert during the comeback in 2009 and brought me back this shirt for my birthday. Butterfly is one of my all-time favorite songs, though, hence the shirt's design."

"Seriously?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow with a scar at her.

"Yeah, why?"

"That's… I dunno. I think that's pretty funny and ironic. We made a reference to it in Grumps a while back and so now I have it on my phone…" all of a sudden the familiar guitar tune began to play out of the car speakers.

They gave a big grin to each other before singing the lyrics, "Come my lady, come, come, my lady! You're my butterfly, sugar, baby!" They sang the entire song while dancing, laughing, and giggling at each other being stupid. Once the song ended, Dan turned on the radio and allowed music to play softly in the background as they had a conversation.

"So, remind me of how old you are?" Dan asked, beaming at the windshield.

"I just turned 28 in August," Grace informed him, "And you?"

"I'm… uh… 33," he mumbled uncomfortably.

"_Damn_!" the girl exclaimed.

"Yeah, I'm pretty fucking old, right?" Danny joked nervously.

"No, that's not what I meant," Grace responded, "You just look my age. You look really young. People would kill for that kind of youth, y'know?" Dan tried to hide a smile. "So what about you? What's your story? Where are you from? And who the hell calls you 'Danny Y. Sexbang'?"

"Well, uh… I'm Jewish… My dad came from Israel and met my mom in America. So… that's a thing. But I've lived in New Jersey and New York for a lot of my life and even lived in Boston for a little bit, then went to France for some of my college years. Now I'm here and a shit ton of people call me Danny Sexbang, thank you. It's my stage name," Dan explained.

"Oh, yeah, you do the singing stuff, I forgot," she remarked.

Dan nodded and they chatted as he drove to the supermarket. They entered the store and Grace grabbed a shopping cart and checked her list. "Alright, let's start with cereal, okay?" They strolled to the cereal aisle and walked to the middle where the girl searched to find the right sized box of Lucky Charms. It was on the top shelf. She reached for it on her tippy toes and could not quite grab it. Danny put a hand on her shoulder and reached up with ease and handed her the box. "Thanks," she grinned, "I didn't realize you were going to be so much of a help."

They continued their journey and stopped to get some peanut butter on one of the aisles. "Have you ever had white chocolate peanut butter?" Dan inquired, his eyes lighting up like the midnight sky on a clear night. When Grace shook her head, he responded, "You _have_ to try it, Grace." She tried to hold back a grin at the sound of her name and the excitement in his voice, "It is fucking awesome."

"If you can find it, I'll try it," Grace answered. Danny flashed his teeth in what could only be described as a smile of pure childlike giddiness. "I'm going to go to the next aisle and get some granola bars, okay?" She pushed the cart around the corner into the next aisle as she watched him rummage for the heavenly item for which he was searching. She hunted the shelf for the crunchy granola bars that she liked when she heard someone walking towards her. She glanced up and noticed a group of three men approaching her.

"Hi, there, sweetheart," one with a buzzed head and gray coyote shirt purred to her.

"Uh, I… I think you have me mistaken for someone else," Grace pushed her glasses up onto the bridge of her nose.

"No, baby, I think we got the right girl. How about you come on home with us? You look like you know how to have a good time," one with a black crew cut and army green shirt smirked as he licked his lips.

Grace opened her mouth to speak but couldn't seem to utter a word out of fear. She backed into the shelf as the men moved in towards her. "There you are, darling!" Dan exclaimed as he walked speedily to Grace. She instantly pressed herself into his side and he wrapped his right arm back around to her right hip. It was funny how naturally his arm seemed to fit around her. "I found the peanut butter you wanted," he said, before pressing a kiss into her hair and placing the jar in the cart, "Are these guys from your office?"

"No, uh, I actually d-don't know these men, h-honey," Grace stuttered.

"Oh, then they'd probably better _back the fuck off_," Dan growled, pulling her tighter into his side. The men glanced at each other and slowly slunk off. As soon as the men were out of sight, both of Grace's arms were around Danny's torso.

He could only make out a soft thanks before she was gone and grabbing the granola bars and throwing them into the cart and pulling Dan with her by his bony elbow. He made sure not to let her leave his sight, and he made sure to stay within her line of sight as well. They walked around, not talking except to acknowledge what was next on the list or if Grace needed Danny to reach something for her. They had finally reached the end of the list, where milk was the only thing left to get.

As Grace reached into the freezer, she heard some teenage giggles behind her. Pulling her milk out of the refrigerated area, she turned to see two girls, a little more than a decade younger than her, standing in front of the cart. "May we help you, girls?" she asked, before glancing up at Danny.

"Uh, are you Danny Sexbang?" one with braces asked, a huge smile spread across her face.

Dan smirked and gave an "I-told-you-so" face to Grace. "Yes, I am, and what can I do for you lovely young ladies?" he responded.

They giggled again. They asked for a picture with him which Grace gladly offered to take. Dan asked what they were fans of and they said they knew his band Ninja Sex Party as well as the Grumps. "So… are you Dan's girlfriend?" The red-headed girl without braces questioned, raising a curious eyebrow.

"No, I'm actually a co-worker," Grace answered with much more sophistication than she thought she would have, "I'm going to be helping Suzy out on her channel. Dan lives down the road from me and decided to help me grocery shop today." The girls looked at each other with a smile.

"Oh, cool! Thanks for the picture, Danny!" they both twittered away as they ran off in the other direction. Dan's smirk grew as Grace elbowed him.

"Do minors tend to drool over you often?" she teased as they made their way to the registers. He laughed for a moment before glancing down an aisle.

"Oh, shit, I think Barry and I might be out of beer. Lemme go grab a pack. Do you need some? What kind do you drink?" Dan said as he began to head down the lane that had hundreds of different alcoholic beverages.

"Uh, I … I actually don't drink," Grace muttered, glancing away and trying to will away the flushing pink embarrassment welling up in her cheeks. This was going to be a normal thing, having to turn away beer from her friends. She didn't want to be a downer, but she was just afraid.

"Oh, fuck," Danny stopped and turned pale, "You had… the drunk… parents. Oh my God. I'm so sorry, I can… uh, get… I'll get it some other time."

"No, I really don't have a problem with _you_ drinking it," she responded quickly, "I'm afraid I might have the silver bullet of alcoholism. And I'm just… I'm really scared of becoming what my parents were. I seriously don't have a problem with other people drinking it. As long as you're not super drunk and beating the shit out of me… and as long as it's legal. I don't tolerate minors drinking or drinking and driving. So, please, go ahead and grab yourself a case of beer. I just don't need one for myself."

Dan's mouth scrunched up as he looked at her. He was trying to decide on if she was seriously saying that it was okay for him to grab a case of beer for his apartment. She looked straight into his eyes and nodded. _His eyes are constantly full of sympathy and emotion_, Grace observed silently before he turned to go grab his beverage choice. He returned after a minute with a cheap brand 12-pack in hand. He carefully placed it on the bottom of the cart so it was separate from Grace's things.

They found their way to the checkout and rapidly placed the items on the conveyor belt. Grace paid for her groceries and Dan bought his beer. They walked out to the car and loaded it up before getting inside and buckling up. Dan had a guilty expression on his face, as if he had offended Grace by reminding her of the awful past she had lived. She _had_ given him shit about it last night when she was talking about her miserable existence.

"Don't feel bad. I didn't live with my parents my entire life. I only stayed with them until I was thirteen. After that, I ran away. My entire teenage life was spent working on a farm when I wasn't doing school stuff. I dropped out, though, when I was sixteen. The couple I lived with was getting old, and they needed my help on the farm, so I got my G.E.D. and helped them until I was 18. I saved up enough that I earned with them to move up to my Aunt's house on my own. She had cancer and needed someone to take care of her, and she was willing to pay for my college. I went to the University of Alberta and majored in business so I could do a whole lot with my bachelor's degree. I would commute to school and had a few friends from class who would invite me to parties and stuff. I'd go when Auntie Corliss wasn't having a bad day, health-wise. It wasn't _bad_. I just really wasn't into the whole party deal. I was the designated driver. I didn't have a problem with my friends drinking or even them being too drunk to walk… it was just _me_, I guess," Grace explained.

"What about your siblings? Didn't you say you had brothers or something?" Dan asked, backing out of the parking spot, sincerely interested in her story.

"I have an older brother and a younger brother, but they never got beat. _I_ was the unwanted one. They wanted a bunch of strong and perfect _boys_. Not to say that my brothers treated me badly or anything. My older brother tried to save me on many occasions, but the older he got, the more he learned to keep his head down and ignore what was happening to me. He's three years older than me. My little brother was only five when I left. I'm not even sure he remembers who I am, or if they ever looked for me after I ran, or if they mention me at all anymore. All I know is that I'm here now, I'm happy and healthy and I have a job and a new set of friends and that is seriously all that matters to me right now," she clarified the details she had failed to give before.

"You lived with your aunt and you never saw your family?" Dan was confused.

"She was related to us by marriage, and her husband had died, so our family had kind of disowned her, sort of. She didn't come to any reunions after her husband died because of that. And she knew that I didn't want to see them."

They were both silent for several moments as they sped down the road. "Well… you're part of the Grumps family now. Forever! No matter what happens, you're always gonna be a part of us, so welcome to the family!" Dan smiled, trying to hide a twinge of sadness at this girl's past.

"Do you mind if I play with your radio?" Grace inquired after an awkward and noiseless pause.

"Feel free!" Danny invited.

Grace flipped through some of the CDs that he had in one of the cases in the car. "Who's Skyhill? That's, like, the only band in this CD book that I don't seem to at least recognize," she questioned.

"Oh, uh, that's… uh, my… uh… well…" Dan's tan face slowly flushed a rosy pink, "That's my band from a few years back. I mean, we can listen to it if you want, but, uh, we don't _have_ to."

Grace smiled and laughed, "Oh, I think we _do_." She slid the disc into the player and the words "Hands on the Water" scrolled across the display. A chime-y tune began to play along with a violin. The sound of Dan vocalizing in the background could be heard before he began singing the lyrics through the car speaker. Grace was bobbing her head to the beat and by the third chorus, she was singing, "Hands on the water, I find that it's impossible to make you change your mind. And where the border divides, I see the darkness that is haloed in your eyes." The song ended and she said, "Dan, that's seriously so good. Is there any way I could have this CD?"

"You actually like it?" he was astonished.

"Uh, who wouldn't? You have an incredible voice."

"Yeah, you can have that copy; I have another at my apartment."

"I'm going to be your biggest fangirl. I'm going to memorize every word to every song and then follow you around all the time and tweet at you and ask for your picture and autograph and everything and write super weird fanfiction about you," Grace teased as Dan rolled his eyes before running his fingers through his messy hair. They sat in silence and listened to the next few tracks before Grace spoke again, "But seriously, Danny, this is incredible. I could listen to this all the time. I can't get over how awesome this sounds." He tried to hide a grin. "What's the difference between this and your Sexy Ninja band or whatever?" she asked.

"Oh," he responded, "Ninja Sex Party. It's more of a comedy band, and basically all our songs are about ninjas or dicks or shit like that. It's meant for laughs, not really for jamming to in the car or right after a breakup or something."

"Do you have any of it on a CD?"

"Nah, but I think I've got a couple of our songs on my phone, if you wanna plug it in and play one or two."

She took his phone and plugged the cord into it and the radio. She held the home button down to summon Siri and commanded, "Siri, play Ninja Sex Party." Siri was obedient and began to play a song called "Objects of Desire" and Grace couldn't stop laughing as Dan sang along with himself on the track. After that, a song called "If We Were Gay" played. "Who is Brian?" the blonde asked.

"One of my best friends; he and I used to be roommates. He's married now though, and has a little girl," Dan explained, "He's a great guy, but he doesn't do the whole singing deal. So he plays the instruments for the most part and I sing, but I do add some guitar parts to a couple of our songs." Comical lyrics filled the silence between the two adults. A song called "FYI (I Wanna F Your A)" played next. An uneasy look came across Dan's face. "You… can change it if it makes you feel uncomfortable or … y'know."

"What? What do you mean?" Grace asked, muddled.

"So, your parents didn't…" he paused, "uh… rape you? I guess I just always hear about sexual abuse going hand in hand with physical abuse."

"Oh!" exclaimed the passenger, placing a hand on the driver's shoulder, "No! I was incredibly lucky that they were just fucking idiots. They'd just get drunk and pissed, not horny. Or if they did get horny, then they screwed each other. No, they never touched me in that way, thankfully. But I appreciate your concern for me in that area. People don't think about that a lot, I guess, not even me. So this doesn't bother me any more than making dick jokes or anything."

"Oh, I'm… I'm glad that you weren't abused in that way."

Neither one spoke for a few moments.

"Would you have treated me differently if I'd told you that they had?"

He looked over at her as they pulled up to a stoplight. He stared deeply into her eyes to try to understand what she was really asking; would she be flattered or offended by him saying that he would have been much careful about what he said and did around her if she had been sexually abused as a kid. He decided to go with the honest route, "Yeah. I probably would have been a lot more careful about stuff I would say and do around you. I wouldn't make as many dirty jokes. You're a part of our family now, like I said earlier, and that means that your needs get catered to just as much as anyone else's."

"That's very sweet and highly appreciated." Grace replied, returning her hands to her lap. Dan eased on the gas as the light turned green. They listened to a few other songs as they smoothly made their way down the streets of LA. They slowly pulled into her driveway and parked. Danny popped the trunk and they grabbed all of the groceries and made their way inside after Grace unlocked the door. They placed all of the bags on the kitchen table.

"Hey, do you mind if I use your bathroom?" Dan asked.

"Oh, that's fine, it's down the hall; second door on the right," answered Grace, pointing towards one of the doorways in the kitchen. She began to take things out of the bags and put them away and he headed towards the restroom to relieve himself, thanking her as he walked away. She soon pulled a chair from the table so she could reach the top cabinet. She began placing things and moving things around in one of the cabinets when she suddenly felt something touching the small of her back.

"Sorry, just trying to spot you so that you don't fall," Dan admitted, turning a little pink when he realized that he had scared her, "Do you want me to help?"

"I think I'm okay for right now," she steadied herself using his shoulder, "If you could just hand me the last of that mac and cheese stuff, then I should be done in the cabinets." He grabbed her hand and held it to help her keep her balance as he reached for the boxes of macaroni and cheese. With the span of his arms, he was easily able to reach the table and grab the boxes while keeping Grace steady. He gave her the blue boxes of the pasta and returned his hand to her back. She placed them on the shelf where they belonged and allowed Danny to help her down.

"I don't think you realize how nervous you just made me," he laughed, somewhat tensely.

"What do you mean?" Grace questioned, a smile spreading across her face.

"Well, what if you had fallen?" he responded. Silence followed.

"What if I had fallen?"

"What if I had come back and you were, like, unconscious on the floor or something?"

Grace snickered, "Danny, I've climbed on that chair sixteen hundred times. I've fallen from it nearly four hundred times. But never once have I ever knocked myself unconscious by falling from it. So I think I'd be fine. Thank you for your concern, though." She could tell that this reaction was not pleasing him. He moved to the table and quietly inquired where the rest of the groceries went. "Uh, cold stuff goes in the fridge, everything else goes in the lower cabinets and the little pantry," she muttered as they both avoided eye contact.

As she emptied the bags, Grace found a solitary green box of pasta that had not made it in with the others because it was a different brand. She glanced at the chair for a second. "Hey, Dan," she said, "Could you put this up with the rest of the pasta stuff? If you don't want me climbing up on the chair, then I won't climb up on the chair. If I'm going to be a part of your family then I need to respect you just as much as you're going to respect me." He smiled and took the box from her, placing it in the cabinets with its brethren.

They finished putting everything where it belonged. "Do you want to stay and hang out a while? I've really enjoyed your company," Grace admitted, glancing down at her shoes, "We could watch a movie or something."

Dan grinned down at her. Suddenly his phone dinged. "Oh, hold on," he replied, pulling it out of his pocket, "Shit. I would seriously love to, but Barry and I ordered some new furniture and he needs some help getting it in. Apparently it just got there, and I forgot the stuff was coming today. Can I get a rain check?" She nodded.

"Do you guys need any help?"

"I think we'll be able to get it. It's just some shelving and a table or two, so the two of us should be able to handle it. Thanks a ton, though. We appreciate it."

They bid each other a farewell and Grace trudged to her couch and sat down on it and tried to find a good movie on television. She couldn't help but wonder if he had really just been trying to leave and not hang out with her. She pulled her knees to her chest and pulled a blanket that was on the back of the sofa over her body and tried to relax. Despite the kindness he had shown to her, it was really difficult for her to believe that he sincerely wanted to be her friend.

As Dan left Grace's house, he silently cursed Barry. He knew it looked like he was weaseling out of hanging with her. He really did want to spend time with this new member of the Grump family. He drove back to his apartment and noiselessly helped Barry bring in and assemble the new furniture. "Dude, what's wrong?" his roommate inquired, "You're actually being quiet."

"You just called at a really bad time," Dan muttered.

"What? Why? What were you doing?" the shorter man asked.

"I was going to hang out with Grace Housley," the taller man responded somberly, lifting one end of a shelving unit in order to carry it into the apartment.

"Oh, I'm sorry man," Barry replied as he took the other end of the shelf, "But that new Liam Neeson movie came out a couple days ago, and Suzy, Arin, Ross, Holly and I thought we would all go see it together. Let's invite her over so she can come with us!"

"I don't think she has any gas in her car right now, though," Dan informed him, putting a lot of effort into moving the rest of the furniture.

"That's fine. I'll just go pick her up while you clean," Barry responded.

"_What_?"

"My room is clean. Your room is dirty. There are magazines all over the floor, clothes lying everywhere, yadda yadda. You need to clean up if she's going to come over," the bearded man replied as he set down his end of the last piece of furniture.

"Jesus Christ," grumbled Danny under his breath as he lumbered away, "When did you become my mother?"

"Fine, leave your room dirty, but when she's really unimpressed when she comes and sees that you're a total slob, it's gonna be your fault. And at that point, do you really think she's gonna wanna hang out with us… or, really _you_?" Barry said with an accusatory tone that only he could manage. Dan groaned and let out an exasperated sigh.

"Fine," the lanky man gave in and trudged to his room.

Barry smiled told Dan to send him Grace's contact details, and within moments he heard a ding on his phone. He picked up his cell and called the number that was sent to him by his roommate. He pressed the device to his ear as it rang.

"Hello?" the feminine voice said from the other end. She sounded tired, as if she had just been awakened from a nap.

"Hi, is this Grace?" Barry asked.

"Yes, who is this?"

"This is Barry Kramer. We met last night… I'm Dan's roommate. We just decided a few minutes ago that Arin, Suzy, Ross, Holly, Dan and I are gonna go see the new Liam Neeson movie that came out recently tonight. It's called 'Salvation Runner'. I could come pick you up right now and you could hang out at our place until we go to see it tonight. Would you wanna come with us?"

Silence for a moment made Barry unsure if the call was still connected. "Uh, yeah, actually that sounds really fun. Uh, I don't really know what that movie is about. Is that okay?" Grace finally answered.

"Yeah, it's fine, I'll be there to pick you up in, like, ten or fifteen minutes, okay?"

"Alright, sounds great. If you turn on my street from Kennedy Road, then I'm the fifth house on the left," she spoke with an audible smile. They bid each other goodbye and hung up.

Barry yelled to Dan that he was heading out to get her (to which there was a unsatisfied grunt in response) and he walked down the stairs of the apartment building and got in his car. He drove to her house and was surprised at how large it was for just her, but he remembered that it had been her aunt's house or something before she lived here. He got out and rang the doorbell.

Grace put in her contacts, just in case the movie was in 3D or something, and sat anxiously on her couch. She had called Mrs. Pace as soon as Barry had called her to let her know she'd be out late this evening with her new friends and that there was no need in worrying about her tonight. She made sure to save Barry's number in her phone and sat unable to hide a huge smile. They actually wanted to be with her. That meant they liked her, right? If they didn't actually like her, then they would've just gone to the movies without her, right? It had to mean that. Her smile couldn't be removed, and even when the doorbell rang she ran to answer it.

She opened it to a very diffident Barry standing with his arms crossed behind his back. "Hi, Barry, it's nice to see you again," Grace grinned.

"You too," he expressed with a toothy smile. Grace locked the door to the house and they made their way to the car. When Barry cranked it, the radio was not blaring like it had been in Danny's car. In fact, a woman's voice was talking softly. "Sorry, I've been listening to some talk radio in the car. Mostly podcasts and stuff, but you can change it if you'd like."

"No, it's fine, we can talk. I'd like to get to know you a little. I didn't really get to talk to you last night," she acknowledged, buckling her seatbelt.

"Okay, what do you want to know?"

"What do you do, I guess? I mean, I know Danny is the singer, Arin is the gamer, Suzy is the makeup artist, but I'm kinda clueless about the rest of you."

"I guess you could call me the editor, but I do a lot of other stuff as well. I like to game in my free time as well; I'm interested in music, though not as much so as Dan is, and I've made a few games in the past. I graduated from NYU with a major in Video Game Theory and Design with a minor in some business-y stuff. I'm really not quite as outgoing as everyone else. I'm not as much of a social butterfly, I guess." As soon as Barry was on the road driving, his phone rang. "Could you answer that for me?" he asked.

Grace nodded and picked up the iPhone from the console and slid her finger across the screen, not bothering to look at the caller ID. "Hello?" she said into the phone.

"Grace?" Dan's voice came across the other end, sounding a bit confused and exhausted.

"Hi, Dan," she grinned, "Barry's driving. Can I help you?"

"Uh, yeah," he muttered through the phone, "Can you ask him where the bathroom cleaning stuff is? He should know what I'm talking about."

"Sure, hold on," she put the phone to her shoulder, "Do you know where the bathroom cleaning stuff is?"

"It should be in the hallway closet, above the washer on the shelf," Barry responded, and Grace repeated his words into the receiver. Dan said a quick thank you and bid her goodbye and she did the same. "He's trying to get the apartment clean before you get over there. He's kind of pissed that I made him clean, but my room and half of the apartment was clean, so it was his responsibility to do it."

"I appreciate that," Grace lilted with a laugh, "I guess you and I are more alike in terms of personality. I'm very introverted and I like clean environments. Dan, I'm guessing, is a super-extreme extrovert, am I right?"

Barry beamed and nodded his head with a chuckle, "Definitely the extrovert. He's definitely more of a mess than I am, but he can be clean when he wants to. He really suffered with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder when he was, like, 18, so I think sometimes that swoops back in and gets in his brain a little bit. But he's cool. He's great and happy. Sometimes he's an idiot and a moron, but he's one of my best friends. So what about you? You kinda mentioned your family last night, but you didn't really get into it."

A crimson blush filled her face, "Oh, I guess I do kinda need to explain, especially since I had that panic attack last night. Uh, I grew up in a home where my parents would get drunk and beat me. I was the only kid who got beat; my brothers never got hit or anything except once or twice when my older brother tried to save me, but he learned to quit that fast. So now, loud noises and shouting can cause me to have panic attacks, so just a little FYI, there. That's why the mug scared me so badly. Anyways, when I was thirteen, I ran away. I'm not sure what they thought happened to me, but I just caught a train down to South Georgia and worked on a farm and went to the local school until I was sixteen. I dropped out and got my G.E.D. so I could work full time on the farm until I was 18. At that point, I had enough money to move up with my Auntie Corliss. She had a form of cancer and needed someone to take care of her and her husband, my mom's brother, was dead, so I was all she had. She paid for my college. The way I got into the makeup stuff is that she owned a beauty salon and it was really great so I got a lot of hands on experience while I worked on the books and stuff because of my business degree. About ten months before she passed, the business plummeted because a lot of her professional ladies had to leave because of their husbands' jobs and stuff so we were going to move down here to LA together to her second home but then she died. We had already sold the Alberta house about a month before she got really bad. She just got sicker and sicker. The doctors said it was at an untreatable stage. The last thing she said to me was, 'Sweetheart, my darling Gracie, I want you to go down to LA and make friends for me. I love you so much. Everything's yours.' And then I had the worst panic attack that night that I'd had in years." A single tear rolled down Grace's face. How did she open up so suddenly to this man that she had only met one day ago?

They slowed to a stop as a yellow light changed to red, and a friendly hand rested on Grace's forearm. She looked over at Barry and he had a faux smile across his face and watery eyes. "It's gonna be okay," he choked, "because you're with us now. It seems like your love for your aunt was really beautiful, and her love for you was just as beautiful. I'm really glad you came down to LA. I'm really glad you're not in that bad home situation anymore. And I'm really sorry that I'm tearing up, but it means a lot to me that you opened up to me." They both quickly brushed the tears from their faces.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry," they both said simultaneously, before chuckling.

"No, I'm sorry," Grace giggled, "I didn't mean to put a damper on the upbeat mood."

"You're fine, I probably shouldn't have pried as much as I did," he returned with a smirk. He pressed the gas as the light changed from red to green.

"You deserve to know about me," she said, "I'm a part of this family, and you guys deserve to know about me and my past. It wouldn't be fair of me to hide it."

Barry's smile disappeared. "Do you mind if I ask you another question, then?"

"Go for it," she responded.

"How far did the abuse go?"

Grace sat in silence for a second, her lips pursed. "They just hit me; beat me. I was never raped, thank God. But if anything went wrong, then I got hit. They were drunk six out of seven days of the week. And it didn't matter if it was morning, noon, afternoon, evening, or night, they'd either be drunk or not in the house. My father made sure not to go to work intoxicated, but my mother was a stay at home mother who had wanted all boys and drank herself away because she had a daughter. So she beat me. And then he'd come home and beat the living shit out of me because I was a girl and his coworker Bill had found a five dollar bill on the floor or his boss hadn't given him a raise or some stupid-ass shit. I was the scapegoat. No one ever knew, other than my aunt and my brothers."

Barry sucked his bottom lip into his mouth as he stared at the road. It was evident that he was trying to think of what to say next. "It's okay," Grace gave a sad grin, "you don't have to say anything. I know." He simply nodded. They began a new conversation about different things, like music and movies and things and were laughing again by the time that Barry parked in the apartment building's parking lot. Somehow, Grace felt super-comfortable with this man who she had met less than 24 hours before. It was like they'd been best friends for an eternity already; like they were destined to be friends from long ago.

They walked up the stairs to the door of the apartment that housed Barry and Danny, the two men that Grace had spent the most time with in the past 24 hours. "God, I hope he actually got some fucking cleaning done," Barry grumbled as he turned the handle and opened the door. What Grace saw when the door was opened was not what she had been expecting at all; her mouth opened slightly in shock when she actually saw it.


	3. Movie Night!

The room was basically spotless and silent. Dan sat on the couch reading a book, television turned off and legs crossed. The air smelled lightly of the clean linen scented air freshener. Barry stepped in and glanced around to see if everything was really in place. Grace followed behind him. "Hi, Dan," she greeted as Barry moved behind her to shut the door.

He lifted his eyebrows as he turned his head to her. "Oh, hey," he smiled setting the novel on his lap for a moment to wave. She moved to the couch cushion next to him.

"What are you reading?"

"Oh… uh…" he stuttered, as he didn't actually know, since he had literally taken it off of a shelf and opened it so he'd look really impressive when she walked in, so he flipped to the title page, "Oh! Uh, _The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living_ by… the 14th Dalai Lama."

She cocked one eyebrow at him before asking, "You're into philosophy and the Dalai Lama?" she tried to hide a smirk.

"Oh… yeah, I'm _so_ into philosophy, I mean, it's basically my life. I read philosophical stuff all the time," he lied, "It's super-hot." She gave him a look that asked him if he was being serious. Barry cleared his throat with a very disbelieving cough. "Uh, okay, I literally picked this book up thirteen seconds before you walked through the door and thought that it would make me look like a better person if I was reading a book." The three of them began to laugh and Barry turned on the television.

"What kinds of stuff do you like to watch, Grace?" he asked, pressing the guide button on the remote control. He handed her the remote and she held it like it was a foreign piece of machinery.

"Oh, uh, I dunno. I watch a lot of movies and stuff, and I like crime shows, and some of the fashion stuff on TLC, but not that drama shit like the Krap-dashians. I'm not big into keeping up with celebrities, I guess. Ironically, though, I really like Law and Order: SVU, even the episodes dealing with child abuse. I guess because in most of the episodes, some kind of justice is given," Grace answered, before passing the remote to Dan.

"Do you watch Game of Thrones?" Dan asked, scrolling through the channels.

Grace glanced at him with a look of embarrassment. "Please, don't hate me, but I've never seen anything from Game of Thrones."

Danny and Barry both dropped their jaws. "Not a single episode?" Dan asked, surprised that anyone could have ever gone without seeing _anything_, not even a spoiler, from Game of Thrones. The girl just shook her head silently before the tall man jumped up and went to his cabinet full of DVDs. "We can start on the first season right now, if you want?" His voice was eager and his eyes were wide.

"Uh, s-sure, I guess. I mean, if I'm going to invest in something, then it should be something that you guys know a lot about, right? But I must warn you, Dan, if I'm not 100% into, you have to promise not to get onto me about it," she said. He agreed and placed the first disc into the DVD player and they sat on the couch and began to watch the first episode.

About ten minutes in, Barry stood up quietly and gave a little stretch before turning to Dan and Grace. "You guys want some popcorn? Or a drink?" he asked.

"Yeah, you want me to pause it?" Dan asked, holding up the remote. Barry shook his head. "Oh, okay, I'll get a coke. What about you, Grace?"

"A coke and popcorn sounds good, actually," she smiled as she stared at the television screen. Barry returned within a few minutes and they enjoyed the episode with the yummy snacks and drinks. Barry also worked on his laptop while he watched; Grace assumed that he was working on uploading or editing or something. Before they knew it, the bowls and cans were empty and they were halfway done with the first season.

Dan glanced at his phone. "Dude, what time is the movie?"

"It starts at 7:00. Why?" Barry responded, pulling his tired eyes away from the images flashing across the screen.

"It's 6:15 right now. We'd better go if we're gonna get there and get tickets and everything." Dan stood to his feet, stretching and making himself even larger than he already was. It took all that was within Grace not to stare at how tall he was. "You good, Grace?" he smirked. He could tell that her emotions had been toyed with. Watching the first five episodes wasn't enough, and she would need more.

"Y-yeah… I'm… uh, f-fine," she muttered, still trying to understand everything that had happened in the entire first half of the first season of the show. He chuckled and offered her a hand to help get off of the couch. She took it and he pulled her up off the sofa, laughing at her confused and dazed expression. "I… I just… wh-… what?" She walked to the door mumbling as she situated her purse on her hip.

"You driving, or me, Bar?" Dan inquired, shutting and locking the door behind him and hurrying down the stairs.

"I'll drive," responded the bearded man, "since my car is just at the bottom of the steps anyways. Grace, do you wanna sit up front?"

"Uh, not if Dan wants to sit there," she said shyly.

"Nah," Dan spoke, "You should sit up front. You're the guest."

"Oh, uh, okay." The girl opened the passenger side door and slipped in, "Uh, how do I move the seat forward? I'm sure Dan needs more leg room than I do."

Dan reached to the bottom of the seat near Grace's calves and hit a lever. "Move up as much as you're comfortable with," he smiled as he held it in place so she could adjust the seat. She moved forward so her knees were about two inches from the dashboard, giving Danny a significantly larger amount of room in the backseat. "You sure you got enough room?" he asked. She nodded, slipping her purse between her feet on the floorboard. "Alright, then," he shut the door carefully and scooted in behind her.

"So, what is this movie again?" Grace inquired quietly as Barry turned on the car.

"It's called '_Salvation Runner_' and it has Liam Neeson in it," Dan chimed in.

"Oh, I knew that much," she turned and gave a little grin to Dan, "Barry told me that over the phone. I was looking more for a bit of what it was about."

"A guy named Hosea is some kind of ex-agent or something or retiree and finds out that a bunch of American innocents are being kidnapped and murdered so he comes out of retirement to help figure out what's going on and stuff," Barry explained, "I think the movie gets its name from the name of the plan or something, like, 'Plan Salvation Runner is a go' or something."

"Oh," the girl nodded. They made light conversation as they drove to the theater. They got there at 6:45 and approached the ticket booth where a small line was formed. Grace opened up her purse and reached in to grab her wallet. After several seconds of searching, she decided that she should probably look for it rather than just feeling around for it. She dug around in her bag for it, exploring the contents of her purse.

She made a small sound in the back of her throat. Dan looked down at her and turned around from his spot in front of her in line. "You okay, Grace?"

"Uh, I…" she muttered, feeling the anxiety rising inside of her veins and chest, "I can't find my wallet." She continued to check the pockets that she never used and Dan helped her hold it so that she could see better into the bag. "It's not here," she tried to hold back hot tears. She suddenly remembered the image of her wallet sitting on the kitchen table where the groceries and stuff had been, "It… must be on the kitchen table. I put it there when we unloaded earlier."

"Hey," Dan responded calmly, placing a hand on her shoulder, "don't worry about it. I'll pay for your ticket."

Barry popped into the conversation, "And I'll get us some popcorn that we can share and I'll pay for your drink."

Grace wanted to say, "Absolutely not," but how could she? She was already at the theater. Was she gonna sit in the car while they saw a movie? She certainly wasn't going to make them take her home. So she just mumbled a soft, "Okay, th-thanks." She looked down at the pavement as they moved forward in line.

Danny and Barry both grinned much wider than she thought they should have, and Dan was almost too proud when he said, "Two adults for _Salvation Runner_, please." He handed her the ticket gently as they walked into the building. They were greeted by Arin and Suzy, already holding their popcorn and drinks.

"Ross and Holly are already in the theater," Arin smiled, "Glad to see that you could make it, Gracie. We're gonna go ahead and sit down. It's Theater 7, fifth row from the back. We just wanted to wait until you guys got here before we went in."

"Why don't you go ahead," Barry suggested to Grace, "I'll buy us popcorn and drinks and bring it in. What do you like, and do you want some candy?"

"Uh, no candy, and just a regular Coca-Cola will be great, thanks," she said as Suzy linked arms with her and pulled her along.

"I'm really happy that you got to come! I was kind of afraid we had weirded you out too much last night," Suzy said.

"Sometimes we have that effect on people," Arin coughed and laughed simultaneously. They made their way into the theater where the still-screen commercials were playing along with the radio music. The theater wasn't as packed as Grace had expected, but it certainly wasn't empty. Ross was sitting about three seats off-center, with a woman with short hair to his left. Suzy plopped down next to her, and Grace assumed that Arin would want to sit next to his wife, so she sat one seat away from Arin's left. "Do I smell that bad?" he teased.

"Oh, no, I was just, uh, leaving room for Dan or Barry to sit next to you," she stammered. She pulled her purse off of her shoulder and wedged it between her hip and the armrest.

"That's thoughtful," he acknowledged.

Suzy stood up, "Grace, do you wanna go to the restroom with me and Holly before the movie starts?" The nervous girl nodded and the trio made their way to the bathrooms. "By the way, this is Holly, since you guys haven't formally met yet." The two blonde women shook hands and greeted each other.

"I'm Grace. It's really nice to meet you."

"You, too," Holly responded, "We heard that you spent the day with Dan. Did you have fun? What all did you guys get to do?"

"Oh," Grace glanced away, "he just helped me go grocery shopping, that's all."

"And you got to hang out with Barry for a little while, too, right?" Suzy asked.

Grace's tense feeling eased a little at the mention of Barry. "Yeah… he's great. He's really someone that I can just open up to and stuff. I feel like I could just go hug him at any point and he'd totally be okay with that." A smile spread across her face as she opened the door to the bathroom. Suzy and Holly looked at each other with doubtful apprehension. They each took a stall and did their business quietly.

"I'm not so sure about that," Suzy laughed as she exited the stall, Holly already at the sinks scrubbing her hands and Grace coming out right after her.

"What do you mean?" Grace inquired, wringing her soapy hands beneath the warm water.

"I don't think Barry would hug back if you hugged him, because he doesn't know you well enough yet," Suzy admitted, with a sweet tone, "He's just… I dunno, pretty shy, I guess. But I'd imagine you're that way too."

Suzy felt like she'd offended her new friend, but Grace wasn't offended. She felt challenged. "I bet he would," she responded, a small and demure smirk showing in the mirror with one eyebrow rising. Suzy grinned.

"So we're betting?" Suzy finished washing her hands.

"Only if you think it's worth it," Grace smiled, shutting off the sink and reaching for a paper towel.

"What are the stakes?"

"Uh," a frown replaced the grin on Grace's face. She had left her wallet at home, so she certainly couldn't bet money; she didn't even want to think about owing someone else money after owing Dan and Barry tonight. Then she got an idea. "Blindfold makeup tag. First video we do together will be the blindfold makeup tag that's been going around, and if I win, then I get to be blindfolded and make you up, but if you win then you get to make me up. Sound good?"

Suzy nodded. "Limitations?"

"He has to willingly put an arm around me. If it's super awkwardly coerced, it doesn't count. It has to be by his own doing. It can be a side arm or a front or a back or whatever direction, it just has to be willing and not forced. None of the guys can know about it. Does that sound fair?" Another nod from the half-blonde, half-brunette was seen before they both turned to Holly to confirm that all of these were okay. She was the witness and she had to agree to all the terms.

"Sounds good to me. How long do you have?" the short haired girl wondered.

"Until you leave my house tonight, since we're probably going there afterwards," Suzy said quickly. Grace concurred and they made their way back to their seats just as the lights started to dim. Barry was on Grace's left and Danny was on her right.

"You all settled?" Dan whispered into her ear. She nodded, and he pointed to her right armrest, "This drink is mine. The one on your left is yours."

Barry leaned towards her as the previews began. "Just let me know if you want some popcorn, okay? It's only moderately salted and buttered. I didn't really know what you like."

"Thanks," she said softly before smiling. She sat back in her seat, feeling safe between two friends. That was weird for her to think about. She was seeing a movie _with friends_. She hadn't had friends in a long time. As she watched the movie, she reached over and grabbed some popcorn. She really enjoyed the film, although she probably would have never gone to see it on her own.

She appreciated the mercy that everyone had on her during the film. The first time she leaned over to ask a question, she was nervous that Dan was the kind of person that didn't like for movies to be interrupted, but she really wanted to get the most out of the movie, so she took a chance. "What did he just say?" she muttered, after a character with a heavy accent finished ordering someone around.

"He just told them to bring all the captives into one room, I think," Dan whispered.

"Oh, okay, sorry," she responded in a hushed tone.

"It's not a problem," he smiled, "It is kinda hard to understand them."

The credits began to roll around two hours later (after a mesmerizing cliff hanger), and Grace began to gather her stuff, but none of the rest of the group moved despite the fact that everyone else in the theater was beginning to leave. "Uh, are… we not going to go?" Grace leaned over to whisper to Danny.

"Oh, we're waiting. I think Arin or Ross said something about there being something during the middle of the credits. Something about the next movie," he responded, "Did you like it?"

She nodded, "Yeah, I didn't really think I would, but it was a lot better than I expected it to be. The storyline was really immersive. I honestly can't wait to see the next one."

All of a sudden, the oval office carpet appeared on screen and all was silent in the theater again. The camera panned up to a secret service agent looking at the back of a presidential-looking chair. "Sir, Hosea Darter is now officially on the missing persons list. Almost everyone who was kidnapped by the supposed terrorists was rescued by him, except the ones who were killed prior to his arrival. It is presumed he is dead, since last he was seen he was shot in the left shoulder and left to die in the Pacific Ocean. The body has not been recovered. What should be done, sir?"

The chair turned to reveal the President of the United States in the chair, which was no surprise. "I want you to either find his goddamn body, or you find Darter and _kill him_," the words came out as a hiss of the President's mouth and the camera zoomed on him scratching his wrist, where an insignia was branded – the same one that had been used to identify the terrorist group in this film, before it flashed quickly to black. The credits continued and the group all had wide eyes and mouths. Everyone stood up and quietly filed out of the theater, throwing away their trash as they did. They walked out to the lobby, talking about their favorite parts of the movie.

"So, are we heading to our house now?" Arin asked, snaking an arm around his wife's hip, pulling her into his side. She nuzzled herself into his side. Grace smiled at how precious they were together and how absolutely obvious it was that they were in love.

"That's the plan, I believe," Holly spoke up, as Ross rested his chin on her shoulder, a sleepy grin spread across his face.

"Okay, then," Suzy smiled, glancing at Grace, a touch of mischief flashing in her eyes, "We'll see you guys there." They all began to walk out to the parking lot and separated to their cars. Grace slipped into the passenger side of the vehicle.

"So, what did you think, Miss Housley?" Barry grinned expectantly as he buckled himself into the driver's side of the car.

"It was great. I am really glad you guys convinced me to see it. I wouldn't have ever gone to see it on my own, but it was definitely worth it," she looked back at Dan as he clicked his seatbelt into place, "And I'll make sure to pay you guys back as soon as I get home."

Dan made eye contact with her that expressed confusion. "What?" he asked.

"You guys paid for my ticket and food and stuff, so I'll pay you back as soon as I get back to my house," she replied, glancing away from his eyes. Barry cranked the vehicle and began to drive down the road and Dan scoffed.

"Don't worry about paying us back," he laughed. "Just think of this as your… uh… 'Welcome to the Family' gift."

"No, absolutely not," she refused, "You guys have already done too much for me. I couldn't possibly let myself be monetarily indebted to you."

"We're definitely not going to accept any money from you," Barry interjected with a smile, "If you think you can be stubborn about it, you haven't seen Dan and Suzy." A smirk spread over Danny's face in the backseat. He knew that he was incredibly hard-headed, but Suzy had him beat in every definition of the word. There was no way that Suzy would let Grace pay them back. He pulled out his cell phone and texted Suzy, letting her know about the situation.

"We paid for Grace's ticket. She wants to pay us back. Not gonna let her." He typed.

"You'd better not let her," was her threatening reply moments later. His smirk grew as his assumptions were confirmed. He glanced down at the floorboard and noticed a familiar CD case lying near his feet. He picked it up silently, recognizing that it was his extra Skyhill CD. He opened it, to make sure the disc was actually in the case, then placed it on the seat next to him. He was determined to somehow slip it into her purse or something, knowing she wouldn't accept it if he tried to give it to her now.

They pulled into Suzy and Arin's driveway after a quiet car ride. They were the last ones to arrive at the house, so they made their way inside quickly, where games were already being set up and played. Ross, Holly, Arin, and Suzy were all in the game room on the main couch preparing to play some kind of battle game. Dan sat in a chair to the right of the couch, and Barry and Grace sat down on the loveseat that was on the left of the couch. Barry pulled out his phone, and Grace saw this as a great opportunity. She curled up next to him and gently rested her cheek on his shoulder so she could watch and see what he was doing on his phone.

He turned towards her for a moment, giving a skeptical glance, and for a moment Grace believed that Suzy may have been right. Then Barry lifted his arm and put it lightly around her shoulder. She made eye contact with the hostess, who was wide-eyed. She squinted and glared at her new friend before returning her attention to the game.

Grace smiled at her success as Barry began to show her pictures from a fairly recent escapade to Disneyland and one of the Cons that they had gone to. She settled into his side, feeling incredibly platonic as she asked questions about certain images, like who certain people where, or why they were making a pose or face.

The 28-year-old woman did not notice the tall man seething across the room from her. He watched as his roommate smiled and laughed and explained the images on the phone to the pretty girl sitting next to him, his arm lightly resting around her shoulders. Did he even _know_ what she had been through? He scowled at the two on the loveseat silently as the four on the couch yelled and giggled as they played the game.

Holly glanced over at Dan and saw that he looked agitated. He was trying pretty hard to hide it, but she was much too skilled at reading people. Once they finished the current round, she put the controller on the arm of the couch. "I think I'm done for now. Dan, do you want to take my place?" she asked, raising her eyebrows at the older man to her right.

His eyes shifted from Barry and Grace to Holly. "No," he stated with a very irritated tone, before relaxing a little and standing up, "I… think I'm going to go make myself some coffee."

"I think I'll have some too," she replied, grabbing him by the elbow and pulling him into the kitchen, "Just play without me for a few minutes, guys."

As soon as they were in the kitchen, Dan yanked his arm away from her grasp. "Let go of me," he hissed as he turned to grab mugs out of the cabinet.

"What's got you so upset?" Holly prodded, determined to know why his mood had suddenly changed from happy to irritated.

"Nothing, now leave me alone," grumbled the tall man, getting the coffee grounds out of the pantry as the shorter lady grabbed a filter and filled the machine with water.

"Come on, Dan. You and I both know that something is bothering you, and I'm not letting you go back in there until you tell me what it is."

He turned, showing a hurt look on his face. This surprised Holly, but she continued to look at him in order to receive his answer. "Grace," he whispered. Holly was confused. Dan's brows furrowed in anger, "She's been through a ton of shit. And Barry's just putting an arm around her like it's not a big fucking deal. She's been hurt. I don't want her to get hurt by any of us, whether on accident or not."

Holly stood there for a moment, her eyes wide. "First of all," she spoke, "_You're_ the one who's making this a bigger deal than this needs to be. In fact, someone sounds… _jealous_." She grinned and wriggled her eyebrows.

Dan's jaw tightened. "What is the second goddamned thing?" he snarled.

"Second," she continued, more solemnity coming over her face as she looked around to make sure no one was around. She leaned in closer to Danny and lowered her voice, "Suzy and Grace made a bet about Barry hugging Grace… and Grace just won. But you're not supposed to know… so hush-hush."

"Wait, what?" Dan responded, quite loudly before Holly slapped her hands over his mouth.

"What part of 'hush-hush' do you _not_ fucking understand?" She then proceeded to explain the bet and Dan was able to calm down as they made the coffee.

Back in the game room, Grace was beginning to wonder if something was wrong. They were taking a long time to make the coffee, but she didn't say anything. She just sat back quietly switching her attention from the game to Barry's phone, relaxing on her friend. When they finally returned, Dan was smiling again, not like the frown he'd had when he left the room. He had his coffee and sat on the other side of Grace, taking up the rest of the loveseat.

"Did you want some coffee, Grace?" he asked, carefully setting his mug on the nearby side table. She gently pulled herself out of her friend's arm and smiled.

"No, but thanks for asking, Dan," she returned appreciatively.

"FUCK!" Arin screamed after losing yet another round. Grace tried to hold back a smile as he used humor to exaggerate his rage. "OF COURSE THE FUCKING THING DID THE THING WHEN I WAS NEXT TO THE THING! JESUS CHRIST." He glanced over at the loveseat. "Any of you guys wanna take my place?" No one answered. "Come on, Gracie," he suggested, "We need to see how good at gaming you are!"

"Oh," she coughed nervously, "Uhm, I don't think I'll do very well, but I guess I'll try." She took Arin's controller and they switched seats. "What is this game called?" Grace inquired.

"Super Smash Brothers Brawl," answered Ross, "You can choose any character you want, each one has different abilities, and there are items, blah blah blah. Choose and let's go!"

"Goddamnit, Ross," Holly exclaimed, "Let her at least know how to play. You're gonna be battling the four of us. Items can be used against different players. Different buttons do different things." She explained to the new girl which buttons to press in order to fight. Grace decided that she would be Princess Peach. They chose a level and the battle began.

Each player had four lives. Grace quickly discovered that the more damage one collected, the more 'sensitive' his or her character became to the hits they received. Somehow, Grace managed to come in third (above Ross, who Suzy and Holly took care of immediately).

"Not bad, Housley," Suzy grinned, nudging the blonde with her elbow, "Let's play another round." This time, Grace came in second, getting beaten by Ross, because she fell for his shenanigans as Kirby. Despite how fun she thought the game was, she handed off the controller to Barry. Arin scooted to take Barry's spot so Grace could reclaim her place on the loveseat.

Dan stood up. "I'm going to get some more coffee. You sure you don't want some, Grace?" he asked, his mug in hand.

She grinned, "I'd like some coffee. Can you actually handle making my coffee?"

"Of course I remember how fucking _racist_ you are against black coffee," he teased.

"I've gotta watch to make sure," she got up with a smirk and followed him to the kitchen. Dan placed the mug he had been using on the island counter before moving to the cabinet to grab a clean mug for his friend.

"You make mine, I'll make yours?" he proposed. She nodded. Grace carefully took the coffee pot and poured it into Dan's mug. Dan poured the creamer into the mug, watching it carefully to make sure that it didn't go more than one fourth of the way. "One fourth, right?" he asked. She simply smiled and gave him the 'zip-my-lips' motion. "You're not going to tell me?!" She shook her head. "I think one fourth was right. Jesus." Then he poured four packs of sugar into the mug as well and stirred meticulously before cautiously handing the drink to her.

She passed his coffee to him and gave a big grin before blowing gently across the top, sending steam towards Dan. She took a sip and he looked at her expectantly. "Hmmm…" she murmured, "Good job, Avidan. It actually is pretty good."

"Just… don't drop it," he muttered, as a flash of sympathy across his eyes. He looked away as he took a sip of his simple coffee.

"I won't. I promise," she said, before placing a hand on his arm. She grasped the handle tightly. "Just don't be an idiot and bash your head against the cabinet." A grin spread across her face as she drank out of the cup.

"Yeah, don't you worry, my Jew Fro works as a helmet and protects my skull from major brain damage and shit like that," he joked, making the girl giggle. "And NOTHING can tame the MIGHTY JEW FRO!" he yelled.

"What kind of product do you use on it?" Grace laughed as she set her coffee on the counter. She was tempted to reach out touch his hair, but she decided against it.

"I just use random shit. Nothing works though. No conditioner has been able to hydrate my hair. It's just too dry," he shrugged.

"You've gotta let me experiment on it one day. I have some hair oils at my house. My aunt used to be the owner of a salon. I bet I could get it super healthy!" Grace's jade eyes sparkled like a gem.

"Okay, we'll see about that," Danny chuckled, "So, I was thinking, Bar and I have to be here at 10am tomorrow morning, so do you want us to just pick you up at 9:30 so you can be here work with Suzy? That way you wouldn't have to drive. If we carpool, we could all save gas. Next week, you can drive us. We can alternate or something, if that's okay with you."

Grace picked up her coffee again and sipped more out of it now that it was a bit cooler. "That sounds great," she answered, the mug still hovering at her lips. She took another gulp as Dan did the same.

"Awesome, I'll let Barry know tonight," Dan looked down at the girl. It was weird. He was in almost the same exact spot he had been in the night before, but the situation was entirely different. He knew about this girl now. He honestly couldn't believe how much he'd gotten to know her in the past day.

Her outfit today contrasted vastly from what she was wearing the previous night. Instead of a feminine floral skirt, she was wearing the same dark ripped up jeans she had worn to the grocery store. A black belt with silver circles for the holes separated the pants from the black Crazy Town shirt she was wearing, which was only similar to the pink top she had been wearing the night before in that it was pretty fitted.

"Uh… Dan?"

He heard his name and realized that he was staring. "What?" His face turned a light shade of pink.

"I was… uh… just asking if you were okay earlier. You just seemed a little… off," the blonde girl bit her lip before taking another mouthful of the hot liquid.

Embarrassment flushed over his face. He took a big slurp of his coffee and gulped it down, which he immediately regretted. "Shit," he gasped, "Uh..." He coughed into his fist.

"Are you okay?" She inquired with concern.

"Yeah," he choked, "Uh…" He finally got himself together. "I… was… uh…" he stuttered, trying to think of an excuse. Absolutely nothing came to his mind. _Damn ex-stoner brain_, he thought. Finally, he sighed and just told the truth, "Honestly, I was just mad that Barry was so close to you. I just know that you've been hurt in the past, and I don't want you to get hurt by anyone here, whether intentionally or not."

Surprisingly, Grace chuckled at this. He cocked his head at her, wondering why she was amused over something serious. "You do realize," she smiled, "That you've had your hands and arms on and around me more than anyone else here. First, when I dropped the mug, then in the car, then today at the store, and then when I was putting the groceries away."

Dan scrunched his mouth to one corner of his face. "Oh… fuck…" he mumbled in realization.

Grace pursed her lips. "You're funny, you know that?" she said, finishing up her drink before placing the mug in the sink.

He gave the young woman a half smile. Suzy came through the door unexpectedly with a smile on her face. "Grace, I have your outfit from yesterday all clean, if you want to come get it. Not a stain on it!"

"Oh, okay," the blonde responded, "I'll be back in a few minutes." She scampered out of the room behind the dark-headed hostess. Just moments after they walked out, Arin and Barry walked into the kitchen.

"Hey, Dan," Arin grinned and had a tone that only meant mischief, "What were you guys doing in here? Making _coffee_?" The innuendo slipped smoothly from his mouth. Barry quickly found something else to do.

"Shut the fuck up, dick," Dan immediately snapped.

Arin smirked and continued, "Come on, Dan. It doesn't take _that_ long to make coffee. Grace is a cutie. 'You know how I feel about long blonde hair.' Weren't those your _exact_ words? Wasn't that what he said, Bar?"

Barry had a frightened look on his face as he occupied himself with the dishes. "I-I'm staying out of this," he said quietly.

"Fuck off, Arin. Just because I think a girl is attractive doesn't mean I'm gonna make a move on her. We've only known each other for two days," Dan was snarling and spitting his words.

Arin was enjoying egging him on way too much. "Oh, come on, Dan. You've spent basically the entire day with her. I saw how pissed you were in there earlier."

Dan was fixing to take a swing at his aggravator, when Grace and Suzy returned to the kitchen. "Oh, Barry, you don't have to do those," Suzy exclaimed, "I was going to wait until it got a little more piled up."

"Oh, it's fine," he muttered with a smile. Holly and Ross joined everyone in the kitchen, announcing that they were exhausted and ready to leave. Everyone told the couple goodbye, and Barry suggested that it might be time for the three of them to head off as well. Grace hugged Suzy and Arin, and the boys said goodbye to the married couple, though the blonde thought that she saw Danny glare and scowl at Arin before walking out the door.

They got into the car and drove off. "Thanks, guys," Grace whispered.

"For what?" Barry and Dan asked simultaneously.

"Just… a really great weekend. I haven't had this much fun in a long time… since my aunt…" her sentence trailed off. Dan placed a gentle hand on her left shoulder in order to comfort her.

"We're really glad that we've gotten to know you, Grace," Barry said, as kept his eyes on the road. Dan noticed Grace's purse sitting in between her and Barry. It was easily accessible from where he was. He grabbed the Skyhill CD and silently slipped it in the side pocket.

"It's been a long time since I've actually had friends. God, I've actually opened up more to you guys in the past 48 hours than I have in the past ten years to anyone my own age," she admitted, "I just really appreciate you guys being so… I dunno, open to me? I'm sorry if that sounds dumb."

"It's not dumb," Dan responded. "It's pretty rad. And we're definitely super-happy to be considered your friends. You know who to call if you need anything."

It was too dark for either of the guys to see the huge smile on Grace's face. She couldn't believe how much she had lucked out. She clutched her clothes in her lap as they pulled onto her street. She felt a sense of sorrow – she didn't want to leave these guys.

Barry parked the car. "I'll walk you to the door!" Danny exclaimed quickly, jumping out of the car and opening Grace's door for her. "Stay here, Bar, I'll be right back," he said, almost sternly. Grace shut her door and the two walked to the door together. "Do we need to go talk to your neighbor again?"

"No, I already told her not to worry about me," Grace explained, "Thanks for walking me to the door. I appreciate it."

"No problem!" he grinned, "We'll see you tomorrow at 9:30?"

She began to unlock the door when she replied, "Yeah, I'll be ready by then. If you just wanna text me when you get here so you don't have to get out." She opened the door. "Thanks again, Dan. And tell Barry I said thanks to him, too."

"Okay," he stood there before reaching his arms out towards her. She smiled and embraced him, feeling a sense of security in his arms. After a few seconds, she said goodbye and retreated into her home. She went to the window and watched them pull out, before locking the door and heading to bed. She couldn't _wait _to see them tomorrow.


End file.
